


The Great College Bake Off

by questionableatbest



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, like canon up until bitty enters a baking contest i guess?, probably?, so much pining, so not really canon at all but that universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 18:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8171579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/questionableatbest/pseuds/questionableatbest
Summary: Imagine if The Great British Bake Off was actually an American show called The Great College Bake Off, and then imagine Bitty competing on the show and Jack doing everything he can to support him, because that’s what teammates do, right?The fact that Jack blushes whenever Bitty smiles, and that he can barely look at him without getting butterflies in his stomach is completely beside the point.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i got bored at work and wrote this?

When Bitty announces that he’s going to be on The Great College Bake Off, Jack frowns.

He knows that Bitty loves to bake and he knows that Bitty’s good at it and he knows that he should be excited, but the whole thing leaves a bad taste in his mouth. It makes his chest tighten up and he’s pretty sure his forehead is creased, but everybody else is too busy congratulating Bitty to notice, and Jack’s fine with that.

Eventually the room falls quiet and Jack’s pretty sure he’s the only one who hasn’t said anything, and he’s pretty sure that he should say something.

Bitty’s been looking at him every few seconds and Shitty and Lardo’s gazes look a bit to knowing, even if Jack doesn’t know what they think they know, so eventually he sighs and says, “You’ll miss practice,” and half the room groans.

Shitty’s gaze turns into a glare and Lardo seems focused on Bitty and, for his part, Bitty doesn’t waver at all. He keeps smiling, even if it looks a bit cooler, and says, “Filming doesn’t start until the seasons finished,” and then, just as firmly, “And I’ll only be gone weekends; I’m sure you can spare little ol’ me for a few days a week,” and Jack can’t do anything but purse his lips and nod.

“Fine,” he says, and that sounds harsh so he adds, “I’m sure you’ll be great,” and then Bitty is beaming at him and he looks brighter than the sun, and Jack can only return the smile for half a second before he starts to feel awkward, and ends up excusing himself for the rest of the night.

 

//

 

It’s common knowledge that Bitty bakes a lot.

Pies are made at all hours of the day and night, and if there isn’t a batch of cookies somewhere in the kitchen then you should be worried, and Bitty’s been known to leave dozens of muffins with the rink staff on more than one occasion.

Still, after his spot on The Great College Bake Off is confirmed, he starts to bake more than ever, and the things that he does bake slowly become more and more extravagant, and it’s impossible not to notice.

Now there are soufflés and meringues and homemade puff pastry that’s 50% butter, and Jack has trouble wrapping his head around it all, because his team ends up eating most of it, and it can’t be healthy.

He makes a point of sticking to his meal plan, even if Bitty deflates a tiny bit every time Jack turns down a piece of cake or pie or tart, and he tries to ignore the feeling of dissatisfaction when Bitty stops offering altogether.

 

//

 

Shitty insists they have a party the night before Bitty leaves for the competition and, for once, Jack doesn’t hide in his room.

Bitty is his teammate, and Bitty’s about to do something important, and Jack’s his captain, so Jack should support him.

He tells himself that over and over again, even as the Haus gets crowded and starts to smell like stale beer, and everybody around him gets way more drunk than necessary.

He spends most of the night on a couch, stuffed in between Shitty and Lardo, and listening to them talk over him, and it reminds him of why he hides in his room during most of these parties.

Still, at one point he’s trying to find something non-alcoholic to drink and he runs into Bitty doing the same thing, and Bitty smiles and wrinkles his nose.

“I see why you never come to these,” he says, talking loudly and leaning close to be heard over the party, “It’s not as much fun sober.”

Jack nods, but he doesn’t really know what else to say.

He considers, ‘ _They’re not too bad_ ,’ but that seems like the most obvious lie in the world, and he considers, ‘ _Good luck tomorrow,_ ’ but that seems stilted and abrupt, and he considers, ‘ _Do you want to go outside for a bit?_ ’ and he’s just about to go with that one, when somebody calls Bitty’s name from across the room, and then Bitty’s sending him an apologetic smile and ducking away, and Jack decides to go to bed after all.

 

//

 

Jack goes for a run the next morning and he isn’t sure when Bitty leaves for the competition but, when Jack gets back to the Haus, sweaty and panting and already worn out, Bitty is definitely gone.

It’s a Saturday, so if Bitty was there, there’d be pancakes with a million different toppings that Jack would refuse to touch, and Beyoncé playing quietly in the background, and the rest of the team would slowly stop by and eat their share and then head back to bed.

As it is, the kitchen is empty and lonely and everybody else is likely still asleep, and Jack can’t help but notice how bland his oatmeal is.

 

//

 

Exams are coming up and Jack has studying to do and, normally, he’s good at focusing.

Obviously he spends most of his time thinking about hockey- he knows that people joke about him being a robot and he tries not to take it to heart- but, when it comes down to it, he can also pay attention to his studies.

Because of that, when Sunday afternoon rolls around and he’s barely gotten through a chapter of readings, he’s more than a little bit frustrated.

He can’t help but think that it must be worse for Bitty, because there’s no way that he’s getting any studying done while he’s at the baking competition.

At that thought, Jack gives up on studying altogether, and reaches for his computer.

He googles The Great College Bake Off, and it takes him to a Wikipedia page, and to a website, and to a million different YouTube videos of previous seasons, and Jack spends the next few hours searching through all of it, trying to understand exactly what Bitty’s doing and where he is and what it’ll take for him to win.

 

//

 

Bitty gets back late that evening, and it’s possible that he’s more excited than Jack’s ever seen him.

He brings a three-tiered, multi-flavored, beautifully decorated cake home, and at least half of their team piles into the kitchen to devour it, as they listen to Bitty’s stories.

And of course, Bitty is as humble as ever, and he answers most of their questions with, “Y’all’ll just have to watch the show to find out,” but he also says that he had the time of his life, and that the hosts were lovely, and that he’s already exchanged phone numbers with a few of the contestants, and Jack tells himself that he has no reason to be jealous at that piece of news.

Instead, he distracts himself with a piece of the cake because, really, carrot cake has vegetables in it anyways, and when he tells Bitty that much and Bitty laughs out loud, he has to look away to hide his blush.

When he tells Bitty that the cake is baked perfectly, Bitty beams and says, “That’s what the judges told me,” and Jack decides that his research has paid off.

 

//

 

A few days later, all of Bitty’s excitement has worn off, and it’s impossible not to notice.

He doesn’t laugh as much, and his ‘ _honey’s’_ and ‘ _goodness’s_ ’ have lessened significantly and, when Jack wanders into the kitchen one day to find him staring at a pile of dough with wide eyes, looking completely and entirely lost, he doesn’t know what to do.

The second that Bitty realizes he’s not alone, he snaps out of his trance, blinking quickly and then saying, “Jack! Oh, I didn’t hear you- I must look so silly here, I just- well, let me tell you, Quick Bake Bread is nowhere near as easy as you’d think it’d be,” and Jack blinks as well, and racks his mind, and-

“That’s bread without yeast, right?”

Bitty looks surprised for half a second before he nods, and then says, “Right- and it just, well, if you knead it too much the texture will be too close and if you don’t knead it enough, it won’t be mixed properly, and I just haven’t quite mastered the balance yet.”

No matter how much research he’s done, Jacks baking knowledge doesn’t extend that far, so he draws a blank for several seconds and Bitty’s back to looking a tiny bit distressed, and Jack has to think of something to say, and then-

“I guess you really _knead_ to figure it out, then,” he blurts out, and Bitty looks offended for half a second, before realization crosses into his expression and a groan falls off his lips, but it’s quickly covered by a laugh, while Jack smiles sheepishly.

“That was _awful_ ,” Bitty says, shaking his head but still smiling, and then, “And just for that, you owe me- a bite of bread won’t hurt you, and I need advice on flavors.”

Jack thinks about protesting and he does for a moment, saying, “I don’t know anything about flavors,” but Bitty fixes him with a mock-unimpressed look and hands a bite sized piece over anyways, and soon enough Jack finds himself sitting at the table, talking about the benefits of sweet over savoury.

 

//

 

The rink is almost always empty Saturday evenings, and skating is one of the only things in the world that clears Jack’s head so, when school gets to be a bit too much and the Haus gets to be a bit too loud, that’s where he finds himself.

He skates in circles for an hour, ignoring the clock and loving the blank scoreboard and relishing in the cold air on his face and, by the time he’s done, his feet are sore and his face is bright red, and he almost feels human again.

He doesn’t check his phone until he’s off the ice and changed and heading home and, when he does, he’s surprised to find a message from Bitty, reading, ‘ _They loved the bacon and onion flavor!!_ ’ and Jack can’t hold back his smile, even as he almost bumps into somebody on the sidewalk and has to apologize profusely.

He waits until he’s home safe to reply, typing out, ‘ _I knew they would_ ,’ and then, ‘ _But great job!’_ and then he adds a smiley face for good measure, though a moment later he feels ridiculous for doing it.

When Bitty replies, only a few seconds later, with a whole row of happy faces and the message, _‘I couldn’t have done it without you,_ ’ Jack can’t help but think that the statement is a gross exaggeration, but it does help him feel a tiny bit less stupid about the whole thing.

 

//

 

When Bitty gets home the next day, Jack is the only other one in the Haus.

Exams are close enough that Jack isn’t the only one worried about them, so everybody else is either in the library, or meeting up with study groups, or doing whatever they can to make sure that they’re ready.

Because of that, when Jack hears the door open downstairs and realizes that it’s Bitty, he leaves his own studying behind and heads down the stairs and tries to pretend that he’s not ridiculously excited to see the other boy, and then he does see Bitty, standing in the kitchen with a ridiculously large bread statue sitting on the table beside him, looking disappointed over the lack of people to share it with, and then-

“That looks really good,” Jack says, breaking the silence and surprising Bitty into jumping, and then Bitty’s looking at him and beaming, and then-

And then Bitty’s hugging him, and Jack is pretty sure that he’s in heaven.

Bitty’s small and tiny and practically nothing compared to Jack, but his grip is strong and firm and he’s saying something that sounds an awful lot like, “I got star baker,” and Jack is so happy that he forgets to return the hug, and he doesn’t realize it until Bitty is pulling away, blushing slightly.

“That’s so great,” Jack says quickly, and then, because that doesn’t sound like enough, “I’m- that’s- you’re- wow,” he finishes, and Bitty’s grinning and so is Jack, and he thinks that maybe his fumbling over the words doesn’t matter because maybe Bitty understood him anyways, so he nods towards the bread statue and asks, “Is that a hockey player?”

“We had to make a bread statue that symbolized something important to us,” Bitty explained, and then, “I figured that making a pie out of bread would be a bit silly, so,” he finished with a shrug, and Jack can’t decide if he wants to keep staring at the statue, or keep staring at Bitty.

Eventually he decides on the statue, and he walks closer to examine it. “It actually looks like a hockey player,” he says, amazed, and Bitty snorts.

“Don’t sound so surprised, Mr. Zimmerman,” he says, and Jack is pretty sure he’s feigning the offence in his voice, as he continues with, “I live with four of you and I’ve been playing for years- knowing what hockey players look like isn’t much of an accomplishment, after all.”

“But you made one out of _bread_ ,” Jack says, insistent and a tiny bit incredulous, and that gets another smile out of Bitty, so he continues with, “What types are they?”

And then Bitty is standing beside him, pointing to different parts and listing the types of bread he used and explaining how he made it, and Jack does his best to focus on that, even if most of his attention is being directed towards how close together they’re standing.

 

//

 

The next week is cookies, and Ransom and Holster collect bets on how many Bitty will end up making before the week is through.

The answer turns out to be something close to 500, and Lardo collects everybody else’s money with a smirk.

 

//

 

When Bitty gets back that Sunday, Jack’s watching a documentary with Shitty, and Ransom and Holster are doing something out back, but they all convene in the kitchen to hear about how the weekend went.

For his part, Bitty answers their questions and shares the cookies he brought with him and mentions that he didn’t do very well in the technical and, even though he smiles the whole time, Jack can’t help but notice that there’s something off about him.

He seems subdued, and Jack really doesn’t like it.

Because of that, when Bitty excuses himself to go to bed, Jack does as well, and when they get to the top of his stairs and Bitty turns towards his room, Jack follows him.

Bitty turns around then, with a question on his face, but he also looks tired and Jack knows that he’s right to worry.

When he asks, “Are you- Is everything alright?” Bitty’s face crumbles and, for half a second, Jack is terrified that he’s going to start crying.

Instead, Bitty just shakes his head and waves a hand through the air and forces a smile and an airy laugh, and then he says, “Oh, it’s all fine,” and Jack doesn’t buy it for a second. He raises an eyebrow, and that’s all it takes for Bitty to go on with, “It’s just- well, two people got sent home this week- Karen and Ryan and I just- Karen was _so good_ , and if she got sent home, then I don’t- well.”

A part of Jack can’t believe his ears, because Bitty’s the best baker he knows. For all he knows, Bitty’s actually the best baker in the world. He says as much out loud, and it gets a laugh from Bitty that almost sounds authentic.

“Now Jack, I saw the state of your kitchen before I got to it, so as nice as that is, I’m not sure it’s really saying much,” Bitty says, and Jack can’t help but roll his eyes, because-

“I mean it, Bits. You’re good, and you deserve to be there,” he says, and for a moment he’s worried that his voice gave too much away, because Bitty looks caught off guard and a tiny bit dazed, but then he just smiles, so Jack repeats himself. “You’re really good, okay? You’ll be fine.”

When Bitty nods and says, “Thanks, Jack,” with his voice soft and gentle, it’s Jack’s turn to feel dazed, so he just nods and smiles and says something that he hopes sounds like _‘good night,’_ and then he ducks out of the room and repeats the conversation over in his mind until he falls asleep.

 

//

 

Bitty spends the next week making pies to prepare for pie week, and Jack doesn’t think he’s ever seen him happier.

He also doesn’t think he’s ever seen the fridge fuller, but that’s beside the point.

There are pies for every meal, and different pies for dessert at every meal and, if Jack didn’t know how nervous Bitty was after last weekend, then he would have said something.

As it is, he just eats the pies alongside the rest of his teammates, though he does have smaller portions and he snacks on vegetables when he knows that Bitty isn’t watching.

 

//

 

Saturday night, Jack is woken up by his phone ringing and, once he gets over how disorienting that is, he answers it.

He doesn’t know what he expected to hear, but the fact that Bitty is on the other end and that he definitely sounds like he’s crying is enough to throw him off, so he says the first thing that comes to mind, which turns out to be, “What the fuck, Bittle?”

And then Bitty is talking and none of it is particularly coherent, but Jack manages to make out something that sounds like, “I shouldn’t have called- I- goodness, I’m sorry,” and then the line goes dead.

Jack blinks, and he rubs at his eyes, and he sits up, and he presses redial.

It rings five times before Bitty answers but, when he does, he sounds significantly more calm.

“Jack, I’m so sorry- I shouldn’t have called,” he says, and Jack knows what he’s trying to do, and he’s awake but he’s also too tired to deal with Bitty trying to brush off his own feelings, so he ignores it entirely.

“Bitty, what’s wrong?” he asks instead, short and to the point and maybe a bit too much so because Bitty stays silent, so Jack goes on with, “Come on Bits, it can’t be that bad,” and that seems to work, because Bitty lets out a loud sigh, and then-

And then he says a bunch of things that Jack doesn’t entirely understand, no matter how hard he tries to.

It’s clear that the first challenge of the day didn’t go as well as planned, and he’s pretty sure that Bitty came last in the technical, and his voice doesn’t shake and he definitely doesn’t cry, but Bitty sounds small and defeated and Jack doesn’t know what to do about that, so he just keeps listening.

The story involves a broken timer and choosing to mix with a blender instead of by hand and using the oven on the wrong setting and, honestly, it all sounds like a case of bad luck, rather than lack of skill, but Jack keeps that to himself because he knows that Bitty isn’t looking for compliments, and he knows that Bitty wouldn’t accept one anyways.

The only time Jack actually does interrupt is accidental, and it happens when Bitty starts talking about the judging of his pies, and mentions that, “It had a _soggy bottom_ , Jack- a _soggy bottom_ ,” and Jack can’t hold back a snort.

He tries to cover it with a cough, but Bitty definitely notices because he falls silent on the other line, and then-

“Are you _laughing_ at me?” he asks, and he almost sounds offended, and he definitely sounds temperamental and, despite that, Jack finds that he’s still smiling a tiny bit.

“No- I-” Jack laughs again a tiny bit, this time at himself more than anything, and he hears Bitty sniff slightly on the other end so he hurries to defend himself, with, “Of course I’m not laughing at you- I just can’t believe you managed to say the words ‘ _soggy bottom_ ’ as seriously as you just did.”

There are several more moments of silence, before-

“Jack Zimmerman, are you five years old?” Bitty asks and, for the first time that night it sounds like he’s smiling, so Jack can’t bring himself to care that it’s at his expense. “I _cannot_ believe you sometimes,” he continues with, and the rest of the conversation is easy.

Bitty teases him for a few more moments and Jack lets him, and then they talk about the rest of the day and about the judge's commentary, and this time Jack contributes. He points out that one bad day doesn’t make somebody a bad baker, and that nobody can be perfect all the time, and that tomorrow’s another day, and he tells Bitty all of the other clichés that he can never quite bring himself to believe after bad games, but it seems to work.

He tells Bitty that the best pie he’s ever had was the pumpkin spice one that Bitty made for their Haus Thanksgiving that year, and that gets another laugh out of Bitty.

“Of course you would like it; I sweetened it with maple syrup,” he says, and it’s barely a chirp and it’s barely even funny, but Jack finds himself smiling into the phone and, when he realizes that Bitty can’t actually see it, he realizes that he needs to say something, so-

“You’re going to be fine tomorrow, Bits,” he says, and then, “Just pretend you’re in the kitchen here, baking for the team, and it’ll be easy.”

Bitty hums his response and they keep talking for a few more minutes, but both of them start to sound tired and it really is late and Bitty’s got a pie to bake in the morning, so they say goodnight, and Jack takes comfort in the fact that Bitty sounds a lot happier now than he did when they started talking.

 

//

 

Jack doesn’t text Bitty because he doesn’t want to bother him, but he also spends all of Sunday worrying.

By the time the evening rolls around, he’s given up on doing anything else, so he ends up sitting in front of the tv, not really paying attention to what he’s watching and not really paying attention to what Shitty’s ranting about from the other couch, and when he hears the front door open, he perks up immediately.

He ignores the funny look that Shitty gives him, and turns around in time to see Bitty walking in, looking a tiny bit stunned and a tiny bit lost and completely and entirely exhausted, but when he sees Jack, he smiles.

“I made the pumpkin one,” he says, and then, “The judges said it was the best pie they’d ever had,” and then, “I’m still on the show,” and he’s still smiling but he also looks like he’s going to fall asleep on his feet, so Jack moves over a tiny bit and makes room for him on the couch, and Bitty doesn’t think twice before he takes the offered seat.

Shitty says his congratulations and Jack says, “I knew you could do it,” and Bitty looks at him for a moment longer than necessary, before-

“You always say that,” he mutters, and Jack shrugs because it’s the truth, and Bitty just keeps looking at him until something in his expression changes.

It’s like he’s decided something, and Jack isn’t quite sure what he’s decided, but then Bitty shifts closer, and then even closer, and then his side is pressed against Jack’s and his head is leaning on Jack’s shoulder, and Jack wraps an arm around him without thinking about it at all.

It feels good and natural and nice, so Jack makes a point of ignoring the wide eyed, excited looks that he’s still getting from Shitty, and he focuses his attention on Bitty, and they talk.

He asks questions about the bake off and about the pie, and he asks for more detailed descriptions of the judges reactions to it, but it doesn’t last very long because Bitty’s voice slows down and it gets heavier and then the answers stop coming altogether, and Jack realizes that he’s fallen asleep, and then he looks over to Shitty, and-

“Don’t say a thing,” he warns, and Shitty closes his mouth but he also keeps grinning, as he gets up and backs out of the room, shaking his head slowly the whole time.

 

//

 

It’s Wednesday when Jack gets back from his workout to find Shitty, Lardo, Ransom, and Holster, all huddled in the living room, whispering about something that he can’t actually hear.

He considers ignoring it altogether, but he thinks better of that because, really, they could be planning anything and there’s a solid chance that if he doesn’t intervene somebody will die, so he ends up clearing his throat, and raising an eyebrow when they all jump back, surprised.

They don’t look particularly guilty, but he also doesn’t trust that alone, so he just keeps staring, until-

“It’s Bitty,” Ransom explains, “He yelled at Holster and I when we went in the kitchen.”

Jack blinks. “He yelled?” he asks, because he’s pretty sure that’s something that he’s never actually heard Bitty do and, after a moment, Holster shrugs.

“He raised his voice,” he clarifies, “But still, it was weird.”

Everybody else nods to confirm that, and it’s Shitty who says, “We’re planning an intervention,” and then, when Jack raises both his eyebrows at that, “What?”

Jack’s pretty sure that whatever intervention they’re planning won’t work, and he doesn’t know why but he’s also pretty sure that he’s the only one who Bitty will actually listen to so, after a moment, he sighs and says, “I’ll talk to him, okay?” and everybody else exchanges looks, before they all nod at the same time.

It looks ridiculous and Jack can’t believe he’s friends with these people, but he nods back and heads into the kitchen anyways, and what he’s met with can only be classified as disaster.

There’s flour everywhere and sugar is spilt on the ground and pots and pans and bowls are strewn out across every surface and, in the middle of it all, Bitty is piping icing onto dozens of tiny squares.

If Bitty notices that Jack is there, he doesn’t say anything. He just keeps piping and he doesn’t look up but, from what Jack can see, he’s frowning deeply and his forehead is creased and his shoulders are stiff, and he doesn’t look like he’s enjoying baking at all, and it’s all incredibly unsettling.

It’s that realization that prompts Jack to clear his throat, but Bitty still doesn't look up.

Instead, he just says, “I’ve got five minutes to finish these,” and Jack doesn’t have the heart to interrupt him, so he just pulls out a chair and sits on it, and Bitty keeps piping and Jack keeps watching.

He finishes with a minute to spare and, when he does, he lets out a long breath, before he finally sits down across from Jack. When he looks up and actually realizes that Jack is there, he startles, and then his eyes widen, and then his whole face falls.

“I-” he starts, and then he looks from the squares, to Jack, to the door, and then- “My goodness, I-” and then he cuts himself off, looking ashamed.

Jack can’t do anything but take pity on him, so he just nods towards the squares and asks, “What are those?”

“Petit fours,” he says, mechanical, and then, “I’m going to have to make 60 of them in 4 hours, so I figured I’d try to get it done in 3 hours, but I- _oh_. I am so sorry, Jack, I just- oh, Holster, oh- I.”

Jack isn’t sure what he’s doing when he reaches out a hand, but it ends up falling on Bitty’s shoulder and he leaves it there for a moment as he says, “It’s fine, Bits, we’re all just worried,” and that seems to help a bit, but-

“I am done practicing for the week,” Bitty decides, and then, “I’m as good as I’ll ever be and a silly little competition isn’t worth stressing y’all out over and it’s certainly not worth yelling at y’all, so I am done.”

Jack feels like pointing out that, while he’d raised his voice, Bitty had come nowhere near yelling, and that they were his friends and that they’d worry about him no matter what, and that it was more than a _‘silly little competition,_ ’ but he also feels like Bitty could use the break, so all he does is nod and squeeze Bitty’s shoulder one last time, before he lets go and racks his mind for a topic change.

 

//

 

By the time Friday rolls around, Bitty’s stayed true to his word and he hasn’t baked since the Petit Four Incident, but he also hasn’t relaxed.

If anything, not baking seems to have stressed him out even more, and that’s something that Jack can understand because he feels the same way about hockey. When he gets that way, the only thing that makes him feel the slightest bit better is finding a distraction, so that’s what he decides to do for Bitty.

When he suggests a team movie night on Friday, he’s met with mixed reactions, but two main questions: ‘ _Will there be beer?_ ’ and ‘ _Will there be food?’_

Their fridge is still filled with pies and he relays the beer requests to Shitty, so the answer to both of those questions turns out to be yes, and when Jack tells Bitty about the plans and Bitty’s whole face lights up, he’s infinitely grateful.

And if their living room is way too small to actually fit the whole team and, as a result, Bitty ends up squished into Jack’s side the whole night, then it’s definitely just an added bonus and, if most of the team ends up falling asleep in the living room in the same positions that they watched the movie in, meaning that nobody questions it when Jack and Bitty to the same, then Jack’s not complaining at all.

 

//

 

Bitty doesn’t get star baker that week but he also doesn’t get kicked off the show, and he does well enough that he’s happy when he gets back to the Haus Sunday night.

For his part, Jack’s happy because Bitty’s happy, and he doesn’t really know what to make of that.

 

//

 

Dessert week goes by uneventfully, except for the sugar highs that everybody but Jack seems to be plagued with.

Still, Jack isn’t perfect and he’s not the robot that everybody thinks he is and he knows it’s ridiculous, but he’s always had a soft spot for Swiss Rolls so, when he sees Bitty making one, he makes room in his meal plan for a piece.

Of course, he means to keep the portion small and, as he’s cutting the slice, he mentally adds ten more minutes to his workout the next day, but then Bitty walks in the rooms and freezes and a look of determination crosses his face, and-

“Jack Zimmerman, if you don’t take at least twice as much as that, I’ll never forgive you.”

Jack sighs and looks from Bitty to the roll and back, before he moves the knife over a few millimetres and makes the cut. “Happy?” he asks, and Bitty snorts.

“Hardly,” he says, and then, “Lord knows that if anybody can spare a few extra calories it’s you,” and his eyes seem to trail down when he says that and Jack is almost positive that he’s being checked out and he _is_ positive that he likes it, but before he can actually reply, Bitty shakes his head and looks back up and now his cheeks are flushed and he smiles, but he’s already backing away when he says, “Anyways, I’ve just got to- go,” and Jack finds himself standing in the kitchen alone, smiling at the Swiss Roll.

When Ransom walks in a few minutes later and Jack is still smiling at it, he realizes that he might be in a bit too deep.

 

//

 

Bitty is star baker again that week, and he hugs Jack again that week, but this time the rest of their friends are home as well.

He’s pretty sure he hears Ransom and Holster whispering behind them and he’s pretty sure he hears Shitty say, ‘ _Shhhh, it’s good for them,_ ’ and he’s pretty sure that he hears Lardo hushing them all, but he also doesn’t really care.

He remembers to hug back this time, and he pulls Bitty a bit closer than necessary, and he holds on for a tiny bit too long, and he hates that he has to pull back at all, but eventually he does anyways, and he doesn’t really know what to say but he’s still smiling and Bitty’s smiling back, and that seems like enough.

 

//

 

There’s uproar in the Haus when Bitty announces the theme of the next week, because _‘Missing Ingredients’_ doesn’t sound good to anybody.

Still, their kitchen fills with gluten free bread and sugarless cakes and dairy free ice cream and a million other things that shouldn’t exist at all, and Jack isn’t surprised to find that they’re all delicious, because if anybody can work miracles like that, it’s Bitty.

Of course, Shitty eyes it all with suspicion, and Ransom and Holster debate over whether or not dairy free ice cream is actually just sorbet, and Lardo keeps stealing the gluten free bread to give to one of her art friends who’s allergic to gluten, and Jack decides that the sugar free cake is healthy enough to eat without complaint, and everybody goes out of their way to not mention that, if Bitty makes it through this week, he’ll be in the final.

Of course, most of the team have been growing play off beards in honor of the competition and Jack is no exception and they’re all starting to look a bit scruffy and unkempt, but that’s beside the point.

He’s pretty sure that Bitty likes his beard, and that’s also beside the point.

 

//

 

Bitty isn’t star baker that week, but he does make it into the final.

He’s so happy that he’s crying, and he hugs everybody and he thanks them and then he hugs them all again for good measure, and then he excuses himself to call his mom, because he’s allowed to invite people to the final Bake Off, and obviously he wants to invite his parents.

He doesn’t leave his room for the rest of the night, and Jack definitely doesn’t wait up for him, and he definitely doesn’t fall asleep hours later than he usually does, wishing he’d gotten his usual recap on Bitty’s weekend.

 

//

 

It’s Tuesday night when somebody knocks on Jack’s door, and that doesn’t make any sense.

When Shitty wants in he just walks in, and Ransom and Holster don’t bother him when he’s in his room, and Lardo texts him first, and he’s pretty sure that Bitty hasn’t left the kitchen in weeks.

Jack doesn’t actually bother to get up from his bed, because he’s comfortable and he’s got everything he needs spread out perfectly, but he says, “Yeah?” and then the door opens and Bitty’s standing there, and he thinks maybe he should have gotten up after all.

He should have at least but a sweater on, because he’s just wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that’s gotten thin with age, and Bitty blinks, looking surprised and a tiny bit distracted, before he looks away entirely, and Jack is surprised too because, really, Bitty was the last person he expected, but then-

“This isn’t a bad time, is it?” he asks, and all Jack can do is shake his head and sit up a bit straighter, as Bitty takes a step inside and then closes the door behind him, before he seems to think better of it and looks back towards Jack. “Is that okay?” he asks, and again, Jack just nods, before he realizes that he should probably say something.

 _‘You can do whatever you want in here,_ ’ probably isn’t the best response, so he goes with, “Yeah,” and then, “What’s up?” and he’s ridiculously proud of the fact that his voice doesn’t crack at all, though, once he gets over that, he does notice that Bitty seems nervous.

He’s biting his lip and looking away and fiddling with his hands, and Jack’s about to ask what’s wrong, when-

“It’s just that my dad’s got a football thing so he can’t come to the final Bake Off but my mom still wants to go but she doesn’t want to go alone, and I can’t exactly bring the whole team because technically it’s just supposed to be family there, but I talked to one of the producers and she said that if I wanted to ask a friend it would be fine and, well, you’ve been so helpful this whole time and I just thought that maybe you’d like to come down and watch the whole thing and, well, it’ll just be on the Sunday and you won’t have to eat anything you don’t want to and obviously you can say no, but-”

Jack’s brain short-circuits somewhere near the beginning of the speech and, if he knows Bitty, then he’s positive that he’s been rehearsing it for days, but Jack barely feels sorry at all when he interrupts and says, “Of course I want to go,” and then, “But- are you sure you don’t want to ask somebody else?”

Bitty blinks, and then, all at once, his confidence is back and he raises an eyebrow and asks, “Are you questioning me, Jack Zimmerman?” and Jack smiles a bit and shakes his head.

“I’d love to do,” he says, and it feels like he’s being too open and earnest and vulnerable and he kind of hates it, but he also finds that he trusts Bitty with it and, when Bitty beams, he knows that he was right to.

They talk for a few more minutes and they make plans that’ll be solidified later and Bitty keeps smiling and Jack tells himself that they’re not flirting because that would be ridiculous, and then a shrill beep breaks through their conversation and it’s one that Jack recognizes well, because-

“Oh, goodness, that’d be the cakes,” Bitty says, and then he smiles one last time and ducks out of the room and it takes Jack a minute to realize it, but he’s actually excited.

 

//

 

The excitement starts to fade a few days later and, by Friday, it’s disappeared altogether.

Everybody else is through the roof and, no matter how much Bitty protests it, Shitty ends up throwing another party.

It’s just as big as the last time, though they’re not actually supposed to tell people why they’re throwing it because, technically, nobody but his roommates and his family is supposed to know that Bitty’s made it to the final, though by the time Shitty’s a few drinks in, Jack’s pretty sure he’s told the whole world.

Ransom and Holster are just as loud about it, and the entire team is excited and proud, and it’s nice to see how happy they are for Bitty.

Jack isn’t sure if Bitty notices it, so, when he runs into him in the kitchen while he’s looking for a beer and Bitty’s handing out cupcakes, he’s sure to point it out.

And, of course, Bitty waves him off, because that’s what Bitty does, but his eyes also fall to the bottle in Jack’s hand and he raises an eyebrow and Jack ends up saying, “I drink sometimes,” and sounding more defensive than he meant to be, so he backtracks and says, “It’s- you know- it helps with nerves,” and Bitty’s eyes widen significantly at that.

“Are you nervous for me?” he asks, and then, “Because really, Jack, I’d expect you to have a bit more confidence than that,” and Jack knows that he’s joking, but the joke also misses the truth, and the truth is enough to make him cringe, so he just looks away and doesn’t say anything and, after a moment, he feels a hand on his elbow.

When he looks back to Bitty, the look on his face is filled with concern and kindness and something that’s so ridiculously caring that Jack can’t help but open up to it, so he says, “No, it’s just- well,” and when he stutters on the words, Bitty just waits patiently until he finally manages to get out, “It’s just- the last time I was being filmed for a television thing was- well.”

And, at that, Bitty’s face falls apart, and his eyes fill with horror, and his mouth drops open in realization, and-

“Jack- oh _god-_ oh- I didn’t _think_ ,” he says, sounding frantic and horrified, as his other hand grabs Jack’s other elbow, and he keeps going with, “I’m so sorry- I- my _god_ , I should have _thought_ about that, but- oh, you know you don’t have to come, right?”

That seems ridiculous and Jack says as much because, “Of course I’m going to come- I just- I can handle a bit of stress, okay? I want to be there for you,” and he knows that those words are true as well, and he knows that being in front of cameras is going to be different this time, and he knows that he’s going to be fine, so he keeps his gaze steady and he keeps it trained on Bitty, until Bitty nods.

“If you’re sure,” he says, and then he glances around the room, so Jack does the same, and everybody else looks busy and distracted and drunk, so he doesn’t mind it at all when Bitty reaches up and wraps his arms around his neck and hugs him, whispering, “Thank you,” into his ear before he pulls away.

 

//

 

Jack spends Saturday at the Haus, wondering how Bitty is doing.

When Shitty comments on it, the only response he can manage is a half-hearted, _‘fuck off_ ,’ and that gets him a punch in the arm, before Shitty smiles and shakes his head and walks away.

This time, Jack is pretty sure he knows what that means, and he’s okay with it.

 

//

 

The drive up to the competition isn’t as awkward as it could be.

Bitty’s mom picks Jack up at five in the morning, and she’s already stopped for coffee and she’s brought home made muffins and they’re almost as good as the ones that Bitty makes, but Jack lies and tells her that they’re better.

She laughs at that, and she keeps talking for the rest of the ride, and it’s nice.

She talks about Bitty’s childhood and she talks about how proud she is and she talks about a million other things, and Jack notices that she doesn’t mention Bitty’s father at all, and he doesn’t ask. Instead, he tells her that he’s proud of Bitty as well, and she beams.

 

//

 

Jack is disappointed to find out that they don’t actually get to watch the competition.

Instead, they sign a few waivers before they’re sent into a tent, where there are games and refreshments and the families of the other competitors, along with the competitors who’ve already been kicked off the show.

Jack’s never been good at small talk and he’s never been good with strangers, but Bitty’s mom makes up for his failures and, while he doesn’t have a great time, he also doesn’t hate it.

 

//

 

At one point they put him in front of a camera and ask him to talk about Bitty and, afterwards, Jack doesn’t remember what he says, but he knows that the words came to him easier than they usually do, and he knows that he enjoyed talking about Bitty more than he’d ever enjoyed press conferences for hockey.

 

//

 

When the competition ends and the finalists bring out their cakes, Jack is standing in the back and there are bright lights shining everywhere and they’re a bit too hot and he can’t really see what’s going on, but Bitty is smiling and his cake looks brilliant, and that’s what counts.

When they announce the victor and they call out Bitty’s name, Jack isn’t surprised at all.

When Bitty hugs him tighter than he ever has and doesn’t let go for a very long time, Jack realizes all at once that he wants to do so much more than hug Bitty, but there are cameras everywhere and Mrs. Bittle is beside them and it isn’t the time, so Jack just hugs him back and says congratulations in as many ways as he can manage, and tells himself that he’ll deal with the rest later.

 

//

 

The drive home is a lot like the drive up, except this time Bitty’s asleep in the back seat, and he looks exhausted and adorable and peaceful, and Jack sneaks looks at him whenever he gets the chance.

 

//

 

The Haus almost descends into chaos when they get back and announce Bitty’s victory, but the presence of his mom manages to reign in most of the boys.

Instead of the party that they all know Shitty wants to throw, Bitty and his mom end up going out for dinner, and Jack ends up having a shower and getting ready for bed.

 

//

 

It’s a few hours later when somebody knocks on his door, and Jack isn’t asleep yet but he’s also in bed reading and he doesn’t feel like moving so he just says, _‘yeah?’_ and then the door opens and Bitty walks in, and this time he closes the door behind him without hesitating, and he walks straight over to Jack’s bed and sits down across from him before he starts to look nervous.

Jack isn’t complaining about any of it, but he also doesn’t entirely understand what’s going on, so he just raises his eyebrows and asks, “What’s up?” and Bitty seems to relax a tiny bit, before-

“I just- well- we didn’t really get a chance to talk today,” he starts, and then he trails off for a bit, and Jack thinks about interrupting but Bitty’s always patient when Jack talks, so he decides to extend the courtesy to him as well, and eventually Bitty looks up and smiles slightly and says, “And I just really wanted to thank you, for everything.”

Jack blinks, because he doesn’t really know what Bitty’s thanking him for, and when he says as much out loud, Bitty gives him a look that screams, _‘Really?’_

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you, and you should know that by now,” is what Bitty actually says, and before Jack can jump in and say that it was nothing, he continues with, “You’ve been really great, and I- I just really appreciate it, is all.”

Everything Bitty says is ridiculously sincere, and his eyes are ridiculously wide, and he’s sitting on Jack’s bed and the whole thing is ridiculous and perfect and Jack knows exactly what he wants to do but, in that moment, he can’t bring himself to actually do it, so he just blushes and looks away and mutters something along the lines of, “That’s what friends are for,” and, when he looks back up, Bitty’s smile looks forced and something looks off, but then he nods.

“I still appreciate it,” he says quickly, and then adds, “Your _friendship_ means a lot to me,” and Jack is almost positive that Bitty’s voice cracks when he says the word _‘friendship_ ,’ and he _is_ positive that he just fucked up, and he knows that he wants to fix it, even as the fake smile is still covering Bitty’s face and Bitty’s standing up to leave, and-

And Jack reaches out and grabs his elbow and he’s pretty sure that Bitty is as startled as he is, and all he manages to say is, “Wait,” before he trails off and gets lost, but then-

But then, Bitty waits.

He stands there, and his eyes are wide, and he looks as patient as ever.

He doesn’t look like he’s expecting anything, and he doesn’t look like he’s mad, and he doesn’t look at Jack the way that everybody else in the world seems to, and that’s enough for Jack.

It’s enough to make him close the difference between the two of them, as he stands up and pulls Bitty closer, and then he ducks his head, and then he’s kissing Bitty, and then Bitty is kissing him back, and everything about it is perfect.

 

//

 

 

The Great College Bake Off airs on TV months later, and the whole team gathers in the Haus living room to watch it.

Bitty sits tucked underneath Jack’s arm, and nobody in the room bats an eye.

**Author's Note:**

> how bout those run on sentences, eh?
> 
> but also, if you've read this far, let me know what you think?


End file.
